Finding the almost perfect work-life balance is every employee’s goal but it’s not always easy to achieve most especially when you are a parent. Balancing work commitments and the responsibilities related to your home life could be very challenging and sometimes cause you a lot of stress and headache.
There are times when one is even forced to give up one of the two options, so as to attend to the needs of the other. You need to work for your family, but there are times when family demands are so overwhelming. Which should take priority? Truly, a dilemma.
Perhaps this is why an open letter by a boss to her employees is making the rounds on the internet again. Many are perhaps wishing they have an employer who would be more understanding of their situation at home.
Back Story
In a Facebook post in November of 2018 that went viral with more than 48,000 shares, a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a visa consultancy firm in the Philippines shared an open letter advising her employees to choose their family over work; that their work can wait and that she can wait.
CEO Charity Delmo starts her open letter with this, “I hired you in the hope that you can be a good provider to your family, not to take you away from them, to give you additional skills not take your parental skills away from your kids, to make you a better person not just for the company but all the more for your family.”
“When the time comes that you will have to choose between attending your sons and daughters’ school activities over a client’s needs, if you have to choose between your wife or your husband’s needs over mine as your boss, — please choose them.”
She also disclosed that she would rather close the company than to see her employees having to miss family commitments over work obligations.
She continued, “You see, not all employers will understand some of my principles in leadership but I would rather close this company than seeing you miss your kids school activities because you have to be in a meeting, or seeing you getting broken because of your unfixed misunderstanding with your husband or wife. They are your home first before the company gave you a second home, they’re your family before you became mine.”
She concludes in the latter part of her open letter that she has always believed that ‘a person who’s happy at home is also happy at work.’ So, Go home, she further said in her letter. “Be home. Your work can wait. I can wait.”
“Your family, the home that you built, once broken, will never be the same again. You will never be the same again.”
The post has gotten nearly 60k reactions and more than 7,100 comments. It’s been shared more than 48,000 times and other pages on social media have reposted it, too.
While a huge majority praised the CEO for her style of leadership, there are those who disagreed with her ‘thoughts’ on the matter especially the part where she mentioned she would rather close the company “than seeing you miss your kids school activities because you have to be in a meeting, or seeing you getting broken because of your unfixed misunderstanding with your husband or wife.”
“To the person who wrote this message, thank you. I hope all bosses would deeply understand that business isn’t just about money. I would be glad to be part of your team someday.”
“As an owner i hope i can be this way as much as i can, within reason.”
However, there are also those who have disagreed on Delmo’s post.
A commenter shared that it’s “Too good to be true. And how would you tell this to the millions of OFW around the world who doesn’t just missed one event on their children’s lives but missed almost every event, milestone and special occasions? You are very kind but not realistic.”
Someone replied to this commenter. “Hi Maam good evening. This post was addressed to her own employees. I’m sorry if you’ve been missing important milestones in your family’s life. I guess she understood that. On her end, she may be limited and can’t do this perfectly to her employees but she is doing her best.. Her point is that, she cares about her people’s family. She cares about their children and their husbands. She is talking to the people in her growing company. Too good to be true. Yet this is happening now. God bless you Madam.”
Another netizen reminds people that “It’s not done everyday anyway. It’s occasional. A good employer looks after the welfare of his employees.”
This style of leadership may not be applicable or acceptable to others; hence, some argued on the point of the post. Ma’am Delmo shared this reminder to everyone.
“Friends, we can agree on different views but that doesn’t make the other person bad, ha? Iba iba ang pananaw,- irespect lang natin, minsan kasi very limited ang kaya natin iexplain sa social media. Also, iba iba din ang motivation and love language ng tao, merong mas gustong magshow ng love through presence, merong may gustong magshow ng love through providing more than enough to their families, walang extremely wrong and extremely right,- nagdedepende lahat sa current na pangangailangan ng pamilya. Let’s be kind with our words even in arguments. Happy Sunday, everyone.”
